


Survivor's Instinct

by JayDeNjcl



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Oh wow i forgot the monokubs existed look at that, no confirmed ships but a lot of ship-tease, rantaro in the protag seat, your usual dangrompers shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-23 13:23:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14935088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayDeNjcl/pseuds/JayDeNjcl
Summary: “Oh, why not?” Kokichi pouted. “Maybe that’s how I cope with stressful situations! At least I don’t go dropping hints all the time, hoping someone bites at the bait! I mean, if I did that, all I’d be doing is drawing unwanted attention to myself! I find that to be a bit reckless, shouldn’t you agree?”Is he taking a jab at me? “What are you trying to say Kokichi?” Rantaro asked warily.“What am I trying to say…?” Kokichi repeated, twirling on his heels. “I dunno. Maybe I’m just rambling due to all this stress!” He shrugs, ceasing his twirls and beginning to walk past Rantaro, taking his leave. His head tilted up to meet Rantaro’s eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was suddenly low, quiet, with a layer of menace coating his words. “But, if you really want to end this game, then maybe you should stop acting recklessly. I’d hate to lose a valuable player in this game, especially one as valuable as you, my beloved Ultimate-"Your typical canon-divergence AU, only this time, we got Rantaro as our protag. Can you see where this is going? Includes ship-tease, altered motives, different cases, culprits and victims. Rated Explicit because I don't know how far I'll go.





	1. The Last Day Of The First Motive

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno what to say here as the author, just, like, yo, enjoy. Or don't. Is cool.
> 
> oh but here's my tumble : jaydenjclcreativezone . I do stuff there too i guess :0

“I guess… I _have_ to do my best.” With that, Rantaro turned his back and began to part from the dining hall, leaving his fellow classmates behind to soak in his words.

_“There’s no need for that, because I’m going to end this game.”_

_“It’s not about outfoxing everyone in this killing game. It’s about ending the game itself.”_

_“I’m going to end this game… So, don’t any of you go and do anything unnecessary, alright?”_

Rantaro’s words echoed in his mind. Everything he had said, he had said it with absolute conviction and determination. But in all honesty, he didn’t exactly have 100% faith that he could pull off what he proclaimed. Nonetheless, time was running out, and Rantaro felt as though he was being shoved into a corner. There wasn’t any time to really think out a well-hashed plan, not with the time limit at play. _I must end this killing game. I’m the only one who can. And, if I don’t do it now, then we’ll all die. I have no choice. I have to act now._

“Nishishi… I gotta say, you were kinda scary back there Rantaro. But I guess that’s what makes you pretty interesting, is that you aren’t the kind of person who blurts out everything they’re feeling, like those idiots Miu and Kaito. No, you’re more… refined, aren’t you?”

Rantaro turned around, and there, nonchalantly leaning against the wall with his hands laced behind his back, was Kokichi Ouma. He was a young boy, no, a high school boy who had a penchant for mischief. He was smiling innocently at Rantaro, like he wasn’t a constant source of exasperation for the other students. But Rantaro knew better. Kokichi reminded Rantaro of an annoying younger sibling who acted out just for attention.

Rantaro internally winced. The sentiment felt too familiar. He tried to block it out as he addressed Kokichi.  “Haha, well, I guess you could call me refined. I think I’m just good at keeping a level-head.”

Kokichi cocked his head to the side curiously, his innocent grin turning somewhat malicious. “It’s funny, y’know? Given everything that’s been thrown at you, from forgotten talents to probable death in twenty-four hours, you should be the one that’s losing their shit the most. But you’re not! You’re just slipping up in small bursts, rather than one, huge one! Which, I guess is fine, I mean, the big huge ones are always the most fun to watch, but, I guess the way you do it is just as entertaining!”

Rantaro frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Oh c’mon, no need to lie to a fellow liar!” Kokichi’s hands unlaced from behind his head, his smile twisting into something sinister. Rantaro instinctively stepped back.

“Or course I’m shaken by everything that’s been going on, but, I won’t freak out over it. Now isn’t the time to lose our heads.” Rantaro answered slowly, carefully. He watched Kokichi’s reaction, and noted how the boy’s eyes lit up at his answer.

“I agree! We shouldn’t lose our heads over this! But people are gonna lose ‘em anyways, maybe even literally!” Kokichi giggled.

Rantaro’s frown grew deeper. “Don’t joke about that Kokichi.”

“Oh, why not?” Kokichi pouted. “Maybe that’s how _I_ cope with stressful situations! At least I don’t go dropping hints all the time, hoping someone bites at the bait! I mean, if I did that, all I’d be doing is drawing unwanted attention to myself! I find that to be a bit reckless, shouldn’t you agree?”

 _Is he taking a jab at me?_ “What are you trying to say Kokichi?” Rantaro asked warily.

“What am I trying to say…?” Kokichi repeated, twirling on his heels. “I dunno. Maybe I’m just rambling due to all this stress!” He shrugs, ceasing his twirls and beginning to walk past Rantaro, taking his leave. His head tilted up to meet Rantaro’s eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was suddenly low, quiet, with a layer of menace coating his words. “But, if you really want to end this game, then maybe you should stop acting recklessly. I’d hate to lose a valuable player in this game, especially one as valuable as you, my beloved Ultimate Survivor.”

…

_Ultimate… Survivor? Is he referring to… me?_

Kokichi giggled again as Rantaro just… stared.

Attempting to recover, Rantaro tried to maintain a his poker face, “What? What are you saying?” He reached out, trying to grab Kokichi’s shoulder. But the smaller boy was quick on his feet, and reflexively bounced out of the way, giving Rantaro one more impish smile and yelling out,

“Don’t disappoint me Rantaro!”

And with that, Kokichi disappeared, leaving behind a shell-shocked Rantaro.

* * *

 

_But, if I were the Ultimate Survivor, that would explain so much. Why I can carry myself so calmly, why I have this sense of deja-vu, that mysterious Monopad with the map and the clue to end the killing game… If that’s the case, then how did Kokichi know that? Is he the mastermind? If he is, then, why would he tell me? It’d be beneficial to the mastermind if I don’t recall my talent, so, he can’t be the mastermind, right?_

“Hey! Degenerate male! Are you even listening?!” Tenko snapped, glaring at Rantaro.

“Oh, sorry. I was just caught up in my own thoughts.” Rantaro laughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Tenko huffed. “Now’s not the time to zone out! If we don’t come up with a plan to beat Monokuma then we’re all gonna die! And that definitely can’t happen!” Tenko’s eyes honed in on Himiko, and the determined fire behind them glowed brighter. Tenko, Himiko and a few others had gathered in the game room a bit before the time limit to try and come up with a defensive plan against Monokuma. It was only a few minutes into the meeting and music had begun to flare, an annoying, chipper tune warning them of the single hour left that separated life and imminent death. It was kind of distracting. Well, not as distracting as the revelations that currently ran rampant in Rantaro’s head, but still, pretty distracting.

“Right, right, I’m sorry.” Rantaro apologized. But his anxious mind just wouldn’t stop working. _The best time to strike, is when the mastermind needs a spare Monokuma. That’s what my clue said. Monokuma threatened us by saying he’ll maul us with countless Monokuma’s from his Monokuma-Spawning machine or whatever… So, the best time to get to the mastermind should be before the time limit, so they have time to create all those Monokuma’s to slaughter us… So, it should be now. I have to act now!_

_“But, if you really want to end this game, then maybe you should stop acting recklessly.”_

Kokichi’s words replayed in his head. He stiffened. _Recklessly? Have I been acting recklessly? I wasn’t even considering if my actions were reckless, but, I guess I have been pretty blatant with certain things. I don’t mean to be a suspicious guy, but, I have been coming off as one._

_But… I can’t just not do anything! The time limit is coming up, and only I know where the mastermind will go in order to make more Monokuma’s. If I don’t act then it’s over!_

Rantaro’s train of thought was interrupted when the door to the game room suddenly swung open. A panting Shuichi Saihara stood in the opened doorway, his eyes scanning over everyone in the room.

“Woah there Shuichi, what’s up?” Kaito asked, surprised by the detective’s intrusion.

“Ah… Hah… I-It’s nothing…” Shuichi rasped, catching his breath. “I just saw all of you heading downstairs, and I just wanted to see what was going on…”

“Oh! Well, we’re just having a team meeting here to see what we can do once the time limit expires.” Kaito’s eyes suddenly brightened up, and he slammed his fist on his opened palm, asking, “Hey, seeing as how you’re the Ultimate Detective, maybe you can use that brain of yours to hash out some sorta strategy, right? Whattaya say Shuichi, wanna help out?”

“Oh no, maybe later.” Shuichi said quickly, barely acknowledging Kaito as he ran out of the room.

“My oh my, there he goes!” Angie drawled, kicking her feet idly as she watched Shuichi run.

“He seemed pretty jumpy.” Maki stated, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Probably because he hasn’t made peace with Atua yet. I’m sure once he confides in Atua, he’ll feel much better!” Angie clapped her hands in a prayer. “Here, I’ll pray for his soul’s safe passage into heaven!”

“You won’t need to pray for anyone’s soul! No one’s gonna die!” Kaito yelled, waving his arms in an attempt to redirect attention to himself. 

“Still, he was acting pretty suspicious… Maybe he’s gonna commit a murder…” Himiko muttered darkly, tipping her hat over her eyes.

“That menace!” Tenko was jumping to her feet. “Himiko has a point! We should make sure he’s not plotting anything!”

“Shuichi wouldn’t do that!” Kaito snapped.

“How do you know?” Maki asked.

“I just do! I believe in him!” Kaito slammed a hand on his heart. “He’s not the kind of guy who would just kill someone!”

Maki looked away, a small ‘hmmph’ escaping her lips. Tenko on the other hand, refused to sit down. “Still! I’m going to go check anyways! Just to make sure!”

“I’ll come with you. Just in case. Safety in numbers and all.” Rantaro found himself saying, standing up. _I can pass by the library on the way and figure out what I want to do._

“Sure, fine, whatever. But just make it quick, alright?” Kaito asked. Rantaro nodded, walking over to the door. Tenko huffed, looking a bit displeased at the thought of a male accompanying her, but she didn’t argue any further. Instead, she joined Rantaro’s side and the both of them wordlessly made their way out of the game room.

It was then Rantaro noticed it. The door to the library was open. He felt his heart stop. _Did we just miss the mastermind?! Is it too late? Are they already making enough Monokumas to slaughter us?!_   He made his way to the door, oblivious to Tenko’s voice behind him.

He ran inside. He saw the hidden door closing up. _No! It’s too late!_ Rantaro ran towards the closing door, cursing quietly to himself as he tried to not let the panic sink in. _It’s too late, it’s too late!_

_… I’m always too late._

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, you degenerate male?! Hey, c’mere!” Tenko yelled after him, skidding to a halt behind him. “What do you think you’re doing? We’re supposed to be… to… ahh… Ahhh…!”

Rantaro turned around. “Tenko? What’s wrong?” He asked. As he spun around, he was met with the answer to his questions. A cold chill danced up his spine. Tenko’s knees were shaking, and she put a hand on the bookcase next to steady herself. “Ahh… AHHHHH!!!” Tenko screamed, raw terror bleeding into her voice.

“God…” Rantaro put a hand to his mouth, unable to muster up a reaction like Tenko’s. He could only stare at the sight in front of him.

The Ultimate Detective, Shuichi Saihara, laid crumpled up at his feet, with a blotch of blood staining his head.

“HEY! IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?!” Kaito screamed, bursting into the library. Trailing after him were the others he brought to his strategy meeting, which included Maki, Himiko, Angie and Gonta. They all stopped in their tracks as they saw what made Tenko scream out.

“W-WHAT IS THIS!?!” Gonta screamed, his large frame shaking.

“Oh my, is he dead?” Angie inquired, her hands pressing into her cheeks.

“So the killing game’s started…” Maki murmured, her fists clenched at her sides.

“No… No way…” Kaito gasped out, taking a few steps back.

Rantaro gulped. _I should have done something. I should have gotten here before him. If I did, then, maybe I could’ve caught the mastermind. Maybe I could’ve done something to prevent Shuichi from… from…_ He smothered the thought. _No. Now’s not the time to despair._ He took a long breath, before crouching down next to the detective. Trying to keep his hand from shaking, he reached out to check for a pulse on Shuichi’s wrist.

“… Oh God, he’s alive!”

Rantaro couldn’t believe the words that fell from his mouth. Maybe no one did, because for a brief moment, his words were met with a dumbfounded silence. And then-

“No way, no fucking way!!”

“Oh, praise Atua for this miracle!”

“Quick, someone get the others!!”

“How is he even alive?”

Rantaro felt each breath he took get heavier and heavier as he reached to pull the detective’s hat off, which was blocking his face from view.

He was met with blood-shot eyes, and a strained gurgle. Those crimson eyes stared straight through Rantaro, piercing him with desperation.  As he gurgled, crimson bubbled from his lips, which faintly began to pull itself into a smile, as if he was happy to see Rantaro. But the smile was lopsided and unnatural. Rantaro grimaced, trying to avert his eyes from the dent in Shuichi’s skull, deforming the entire structure of Shuichi’s face.

“Shuichi, we’ll take care of you, okay? Just, just stay with me…” Rantaro whispered, reaching down to hold the detective’s hand. But Shuichi was already holding something in his hands. Rantaro peered down, and was confused when he spotted the camera that was loosely held in Shuichi’s grip. “Why do you have a camera…?” Rantaro wondered out loud, knowing that Shuichi wouldn’t be able to provide him an answer. Shuichi’s only response was the blood that continued to foam at his mouth.

Thunderous footfall echoed throughout the library as the rest of the students entered. Their shocked and terrified cries filled the room, but no one’s cry was louder than that of Kaede Akamatsu, who rushed towards Shuichi. She fell to her knees beside Rantaro, tears streaming down her cheeks as she choked on her own sobs.

“SHUICHI! Oh… Oh God! Shuichi! SHUICHI!!” She cried, unable to say anyone’s name but his. “No! No no no no!” She moaned, her hands grabbing at her own face, pulling at her own skin. Rantaro put an arm around her, and wasn’t surprised when the girl collapsed against him, wailing in distraught. He put a hand on her back, rubbing small circles, unable to come up with any word of comfort.

“What happened?!” Tsumugi asked, the horror plain on her face. “Is Shuichi dead?!”

Kirumi took a place next to Rantaro, crouching carefully next to Shuichi as she ran her delicate hands over his form. “He’s alive.” She said, voice thick. “But it seems he has suffered severe head trauma.” Her gaze flitted across his body. Following her gaze, Rantaro saw what he assumed to be the weapon: A bloodied shot-put ball. “That shot-put ball probably did it.”

“But why?” Kiibo whimpered, his eyes unable to part from the sight of Shuichi.

“Well, it’s obvious why. Someone decided to commit murder to leave. Seems as though they left the job unfinished.” Korekiyo mused. Unlike the other students, he was one of the few who were able to remain calm.

“Who?! Who did it?! WHO DID IT?!” Kaito demanded, raising his fist up as he glared around the room.

“Like they’d show themselves now, especially since they botched their kill!” Kokichi piped up, staring with huge eyes at Shuichi’s body. “Anyways, is he even saveable? Shouldn’t we put him outta his misery?”

Kokichi’s suggestion was met with a stunned silence, before Tenko growled out, “What are you saying?”

“Well, none of us are really medically equipped or in the know-how to help Shuichi out. Would you rather just let him sit there and die a slow death? I mean, look at his head! Can any of us actually say with confidence that we can fix that?” The silence that followed answered Kokichi’s question. The small boys huge eyes sparkled as he went on. “Maybe we should see this as a blessing in disguise! We’ve got less than half-an-hour before we’re all massacred, and, well, Shuichi’s kind of a sitting duck, isn’t he? The least we can do is end his suffering and save all our butts, right? Kill two birds with one-!”

The resounding slap silenced Kokichi. Kaede sniffled, her eyes brimming with tears and disgust.

“How. DARE. You. How dare you!! We can’t sacrifice Shuichi, we can’t!”

“Then what? Are we just going to let him die a slow death, choking on his own blood or letting his skull collapse in on itself?” Kokichi spat out, his cheek red.  “He’ll die, and then we’ll die soon after. Is that what you want?”

“No! But, to just suggest to sacrifice Shuichi like that is-!

“Is the most reasonable thing to do.” Kokichi interrupted. “And, I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

Kaede lifted her head, looking at her classmates. Rantaro kept his head down, not wanting to get called out. His own thoughts on the matter were muddled up. 

His classmates however, seemed to have made up their minds.

“I-If we kill him now… then, we all won’t die… right?” Miu asked timidly.

“It does seem most logical to me.” Korekiyo added.

“I hate to say it… But, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of a few. For everyone’s sake… Then, maybe…” Kirumi trailed off, casting her eyes to the ground.

“I… I don’t want to die, so, so if we have to…” Tsumugi mumbled.

“NO! Are you all out of your mind?!” Kaito roared, causing everyone to jump. “We can save Shuichi! He’ll be fine! Don’t just decide for yourselves how his life will play out! The only one who can decide that is him and him alone!”

“I don’t think he can make that choice anymore.” Maki said lowly. “And if he could, there’s no way he can communicate it to us. There isn’t enough time.”

“Are you saying we should kill him?” Kaito hissed. Maki answered with silence, a long exhale escaping her.

“Atua thinks that a sacrifice is needed in order to endure our survival!” Angie declared, hopping around the group. “If we want to live, then, this is the only chance we got!”

“But it’s murder!” Gonta cried out.

“Murder that only one of us has to do.” Ryoma stated. He let the candy cigarette fall from his lips. “The question now is, who’s gonna do it?”

 “NO! No one’s killing Shuichi!! No one’s being sacrificed!!” Kaede yelled, rising to her feet to stand in front of the boy protectively. “Guys, there’s got to be another way! T-This… This is what the mastermind wanted! The mastermind caused this, it’s their fault! We have to find the mastermind!!”

“The mastermind…?” Tenko repeated.

“Can we even find a mastermind in the time we have left…?” Himiko asked.

“Maybe.” Rantaro said, joining the discussion. “When I entered the library, I saw the hidden door closing up. The mastermind’s probably hiding in there.”

“Hidden door?” Gonta stared at Rantaro, confused.

“You knew about the hidden door?” Kaede gasped. “But… how?”

Rantaro shrugged, deciding to remain vague as he went over to the bookcase, triggering the door to open. He could hear the gasps of astonishments from his classmates.

“W-What the fuck?!” Miu squawked. “That was there the whole time?!”

“Yeah. And I saw the door closing just as I came in, before I saw Shuichi.” Rantaro murmured, placing a hand on the door.

“So what you’re saying is, is that the mastermind is hiding behind this door?!” Kaito gritted his teeth. He rolled his sleeves up, fists raised.

“But, I thought that the mastermind had to be one of us, and, we’re all here!” Kaede looked to her classmates, perplexed.

“One of us is the mastermind?” Tsumugi gasped.

“But the door was closing as Rantaro walked in…” Maki put a hand on her chin. “So, the mastermind _can’t_ be one of us, it’s some sort of third-party.”

“But, Shuichi deduced that one of _us_ has to be the mastermind!” Kaede insisted.

“You seem determined to paint one of us as the mastermind.” Korekiyo remarked.

Kaede paled, and she shook her head excessively, tear droplets sprinkling the ground. “No, I don’t mean it like that! I’m just trying to do this for everyone’s sake! I know it’s a scary thought, to think that one of us is the mastermind, but I’m sure that if we work together, than-“

Kaede words were cut short as the lights shut down.

Panicked wails of fear filled the darkness. Rantaro stumbled, disorientated. The only source of light was the screens. They flickered with annoying neon lights, replaying the same odd animations and the grating song amplifying even louder than before. Monokuma’s cruel laugh crackled through the air like lightning. Then, in bright red text, was a countdown.

** 10:00 **

** 9:59 **

** 9:58 **

Less than ten minutes until they were all going to die.

“WE’RE GONNA DIE!”

“EVERYONE, CALM DOWN!”

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!”

“STOP!”

“NOO!!”

The harsh lights and screeching music couldn’t mask the raw desperation of his classmates. It was as if the sudden change in the setting awakened something primal in all of them. He could feel it, festering deep inside him. That instinct to survive, _no_ _matter what_ , was beginning to emerge. The shift in attitude was so quick, Rantaro felt as though he could’ve had whiplash.

 He could make out the silhouettes. He could decipher the screams.

It was happening all too fast, yet way too slow.

Through the chaos, the darkened white noise, his sense felt like they were overloading as blurred shadows of his classmates scrambled and scattered.

It was too much.

He saw people running. Yelling. Crying. _Begging._ **“HELP US!”** Charging at the door. Arms raised to the sky. _Hands clapped in prayed._ Arms wrapping around one another. “God forgive me…” Hands curled into fists. Arms slamming into the door. _Arms lowered in resignation._ “I don’t want to die…” Screaming. Screeching. Wailing. Crying. **Pleading.** _Pleading with someone. Pleading with no one._ Pleading for mercy. Pleading for forgiveness. _Pleading for his sisters to forgive him, **“God, forgive me, please…”**_

…

Then the loud scrape of wood against the floor. A small clutter at first, and then _BAM!_ Something large, something with weight, shook the floor, leaving behind a sickening _CRACK_ to ripple through the air.

The hysteria stopped. It’s silent. Rantaro could hear each individual breath from his classmates. He was holding his own, for he isn’t sure if the breath he’s holding will be his last.

The lights flickered on.

The blaring music was replaced with a chiming noise.

And on the ground, beneath the toppled-over bookcase, was Shuichi Saihara’s corpse.

 


	2. The First Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first victim has been discovered. The fallout after the first motive ensures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy second chapter. I take long to write investigations and trials. Lots of planning. Lots of things to do. Hoo boy.
> 
> BTW, everything you know plot-wise about V3 should be the same.
> 
> But things will be different at the same time. 
> 
> Hoo boy.

 “Uphuhuhu! Wow! You kiddos certainly know how to keep an audience biting their nails, don’t you? Wow! Extreme! Intense!” Monokuma howled, cackling wildly.

A tense silence settled between the students, before a small voice whispered, “W-What happened…?” Himiko asked. She, like all the others, was in a state of disarray, coming down after the high of panic and chaos. Rantaro stared at his classmates, and they were all sporting similar looks, flushed faces, sweat rolling off their features and uneven, heavy breathing. The mass hysteria they had just experience wouldn’t be so easily forgotten.

“What happened?” Monokuma repeated Himiko’s question mockingly. “Well, what does it look like to you? Seems like your panicky-pow-wow was cut short by someone dropping the ball! Er, I mean, the bookcase, oh, dammit, that line totally would’ve made sense if he was killed by the ball over there! God, you kids need to get better at murdering! Back in the day, one hit was all it would take, ya know? Just, ka-pow! Pa-chow! Ka-blooey!!!” Monokuma threw his little paws in the air, batting at an imaginary foe.

“Enough!” Kaede yelled, standing up. Her face was drenched with tears but her eyes burned with more fire than ever before. “Just stop this already! We’re not doing this right now!”

“Oh, I think we are! We can’t just forget about edgy emo detective boy! I mean, did his death mean that so little to you that you just don’t wanna deal with it?”

Kaede glared at Monokuma, who despite his short stature, seemed to be looking down on his students. Kaito snarled at the bear. “You better shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you!” He began to stride over to Monokuma, a hostile aura resonating from him, but a sudden hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t Kaito.” Kaede’s voice was trembling, restrained. Her face reflected Kaito’s hostility, but she took a breath, trying to stay composed. “Don’t play into his hands.”

Kaito stared at Kaede, before closing his eyes. “Dammit…” He muttered, stopping himself from advancing.

“Yeah, simmer down there star-man, how about you save that energy for saying bye-bye to your graduating classmate?”

“Graduating classmate…?” Kiibo echoed softly.

“If I recall, the one who commits murder before time expires, can leave this academy without penalty.” Korekiyo reminded the robot.

“You got that right! And just to be clear, that person is the one who toppled the bookcase! Whoever gave Shuichi that big dent on his head, well, what can I say? Your kill just got stolen! Puhuhuhu!!” Monokuma rolled onto his back, laughing wildly like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. “Puhuhu! Now, whoever got him with the bookcase, all you gotta do is raise your hand! Claim your kill! And no one go and lie and pretend you were the one who pushed the bookcase, no way, I’ll know and I’ll wreak out punishment on you! Now whoever did the dirty, raise your hand!”

Rantaro’s eyes roamed to his fellow classmates, watching intently and waiting for the blackened to reveal themselves. But, as the seconds grew longer, everyone grew uneasy. _Are they not going to reveal themselves…?_

Monokuma blinked, standing up. “I said whoever the blackened is, raise your hand! C’mon now, raise it!”

… _No one’s raising their hand?_ “It’s like they want to do a class trial…” Rantaro found himself saying.

Monokuma turned to him. “Hmm, yeah, yeah! You’re onto something there! Maybe the blackened wants to class trial! Is that it? Huh?” When his question was met with silence, Monokuma practically jumped for joy. “Ha! Well then, I guess that answers that! I guess we’re going to go into a class trial!”

“A class trial? But… But…!” Tsumugi trailed off, trembling with fear.

“What the heck is going on…?” Kaito muttered, running a hand through his hair.

“This outcome is much worse, the culprit should’ve just stepped forward.” Maki grumbled.

“Well, before we hold a class trial, first you kiddos gotta investigate the murder!” Monokuma grinned gleefully. The turn of events seemed to have gotten the bear in an ecstatic mood as he spun and twirled in place. “Once you investigate this murder properly, you can hold all sorts of arguments and debates!”

“So you’re saying we gotta do the investigation ourselves too?” Ryoma sighed.

“Of course! It’s what makes the killing game all the more exciting!” Monokuma giggled. “The trial will be coming up real soon, so please do your best in investigating the murder!” With that, Monokuma waved bye and waddled away, chuckling to himself. Behind him, he left the students confused and bewildered.

“Man, investigating murders would be sooo much more easier if we had Mister Detective! Man, why’d he have to go and die?” Kokichi whined, breaking up the silence.

“Just shut your mouth you menace!” Tenko snapped.

“What? Just because I love to lie doesn’t mean I can’t speak the truth sometimes! And you all know it’s true. Without Shuichi, we’re screwed!” Tears suddenly sprung from his eyes. “WAAHHH! POOR SHUICHI!!! I DIDN’T EVEN GET A CHANCE TO PLAY WITH HIM!!”

“I said shut up you degenerate male! Shut up or I’ll make you shut up!” Tenko rolled her shoulders, arms outstretched and ready to lunge at the small boy.

“He’s right though, if Shuichi was alive, then this case woulda been cracked wide open already.” Himiko spoke slowly.

“Y-You think so Himiko?!” Tenko whipped her head back to stare at the small redhead.

“Yeah, having the Ultimate Detective around would’ve been really helpful for us and not very helpful for the culprit.” Gonta said.

“Indeed. One has to wonder if this murder was premeditated, and if Shuichi was the target this whole time.” Kirumi added, a finger on her lips.

“Well, someone definitely smacked the shit outta Shuichi earlier, but, the whole fucking bookcase? That coulda been anyone in the dark! Maybe the culprit just smashed into the bookcase by accident!” Miu groaned. “Goddammit, this shit’s gonna be unsolvable! Fuck!”

“U-Unsolvable?” Tsumugi whimpered.

“I’m sure if we all gather and pray hard, Atua will tell us the answer!” Angie hummed, closing her eyes in concentration.

“Fuck that noise!” Miu snarled. “One of you pieces of shit is the culprit! The question is, is which one?!”

“It’s not me! I’m a gentleman!” Gonta cried out.

“W-Well it’s not me either!” Kiibo said quickly, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

“There’s a one in fifteen chance one of us is the culprit…” Maki said quietly, “So, at least our chances aren’t too bad…”

“Amazing… the paranoia and distress emanating though you all is just amazing!” Korekiyo declared.

“I bet a creepy guy like you killed Shuichi… huh?” Himiko muttered.

“Everyone, just stop!!!” Kaede cried out. “We can’t give up now! We can’t turn on each other!! No matter what happened, we have to find the truth! That way, all of us can survive, and Shuichi’s death can be avenged!” She lifted a hand to her face, wiping away the tears. “If we’re gonna find out who killed Shuichi, we can’t just make assumptions! We have to collect facts to back up our claims, just like how a detective would! Just like how Shuichi would…” She gulped, closing her eyes for a moment. “I know it’s a scary thing, to think one of us could kill Shuichi, but we have to trust each other now! If we want to investigate this properly, then we need to work together! If we can’t do that, then it’s all over! Instead of accusing each other and giving Monokuma what he wants, let’s trust each other, and work together to find Shuichi’s killer! It’s… the least we can do for him.”

Everyone grew quiet for a moment, staring at Kaede and absorbing her words. Then, Rantaro smiled.

“Amazing Kaede. Just like I thought, you’re turning out to wonderful leader!” Rantaro praised.

“Yeah! You said exactly what I was going to say!” Kaito joined, beaming and slapping a hand on Kaede’s back. She grunted, the force surprising her, but she kept up her tired smile.

“Wow! As expected from an amazing girl like Kaede! Oohh, I think you just gave me goose bumps!” Tenko squealed.

“I-I’m not very smart, but, I will do my best to help everyone!” Gonta declared.

“I will work hard too, under Atua’s guidance! I’m happier alive than dead anyways!” Angie grinned.

“Yes, we should work hard.” Kiibo said, looking to Shuichi’s corpse. “We should unveil the truth… for Shuichi.”

“If this is what everyone desires, then I shall do my best.” Kirumi pledged.

Kaede relaxed, her posture slackening as relief seemed to consume the girl. Rantaro smiled. With the girls encouraging words and never-ending optimism, it seems as though the group’s energy had been renewed. _That’s good. For the upcoming class trial, we’ll need everyone at the top of their game._

“Hmm? Well, this wasn’t the mood I was expecting, but okay! Seems like you guys are really getting into it!” Rantaro turned around, and was surprised to see Monokuma just suddenly there again.

“Gah?! You again?! The fuck you doing here?!” Miu jumped, startled.

“Puhuhu, don’t be so crude! I’ve come to bring you all a wonderful gift!”  Monokuma winked.

Tenko’s face went blank. “This is giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Oh relax, it’s just everyone’s favourite…. Monokuma File! First edition!” Monokuma triumphantly showed off the tablet in his paws. “A beautiful report with all sorts of juicy details about the dead body! A must-have for necrophilliacs everywhere! But not too much info, otherwise it’d be way too easy to find the blackened! I figured since you went and killed off the detective right off the bat, that you’d need a little itty-bitty hint!”

“Like I’d believe anything you give us!” Kaito snapped.

“Still, in any case, it wouldn’t hurt to just look at it, yes?” Kirumi said.

“Yeah. There’s no harm in checking it out. Whether you want to believe its contents or not, that’s up to you.” Rantaro added as he leaned down to take the Monokuma File from the bear. 

**The victim is Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective. The victim’s body was discovered in the library, crushed under a fallen bookcase, at 9:52 pm. This, combined with prior blunt force trauma to the back of the skull caused the victim’s death.**

**_-TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA FILE #1-_ **

 “How awful…” Kiibo mumbled, reading from over Rantaro’s shoulder.

“The mastermind… It must’ve been the mastermind…!” Kaede growled from the other side of Rantaro.

“You keep saying that the mastermind did it, but, why? What makes you think that?” Ryoma asked.

“Kaede, it seems like you, and Rantaro, knew about this hidden door beforehand. Please, may you explain everything that you know about this? And spare no detail.” Kirumi requested.

Kaede took a deep breath, and she began to explain. Everyone listened as Kaede recounted her and Shuichi’s plot to flush out the mastermind. She told them how Shuichi found the hidden door, the possibility of a mastermind among them, and how they tried to catch the mastermind with the use of cameras and sensors.

“So my modified cameras were used for this bullshit?” Miu looked away, her hands on her hips.

“But if you placed cameras, then that means we got pictures to what happened to Shuichi before we all gathered. I bet it won’t show what happened in the dark, but it’ll show us how he got bopped on the head!” Kokichi cocked his head to the side. “Well, that’s better than spoiling the whole investigation… We don’t even know if those two events are related or not!”

“Next time you should modify the cameras so that we can see in the dark easier.” Himiko looked to Miu.

“Like we’d know that the lights woulda been shut off!” Miu snarled, flipping off the little witch girl.

“In any case, we should gather up all the cameras and see what they were able to get. They’ll definitely help towards the investigation.” Rantaro said. With Kaede’s guidance, Rantaro and Kaede were able to acquire two out of the three cameras. The third one however…

“It’s under the bookcase. In… Shuichi’s hands.” Rantaro revealed. Kaede’s breath hitched. “I can do it, alright? You don’t have to see his body.”

She opened her mouth, a protest beginning to form on her lips, but then it closed, and she looked away. “Yeah… Alright.”

“Here, let me help.” Kaito said.

“Me too. I’m stong!” Gonta chimed in.

With both of their help, they began to slowly lift the bookcase off of Shuichi. Rantaro gripped onto Shuichi’s ankles, and began to pull him out from under the bookcase. He winced as his body began to come into view. It was like crumpled paper, wrinkled and bent from the weight of the bookcase. His head, Rantaro found, was similar to a crushed grape. Like if you placed a grape onto a surface, and then pressed down on it with your finger, it would eventually pop and splatter. Shuichi’s head was like that. _What a morbid comparison._ Rantaro thought to himself.

He could hear gagging behind him from his classmates. Acting fast, Rantaro pulled off his striped blue shirt and covered the remains of Shuichi’s head. “I’m so sorry Shuichi…” He mumbled. With the most brutal part of Shuichi’s corpse hidden away, Rantaro turned his attention to Shuichi’s hands, which still loosely held the third camera. The camera was held to his chest, pointing upwards. Rantaro stared for a moment, noting how unusual it was. Trying not to disturb the crime scene too much, he gently pried the device out of Shuichi’s cold hands. Looking over the bloodied and damaged camera, he found something odd. The flash was on. _Weird. The other cameras didn’t have their flash on. Did Shuichi do that? Or someone else?_ “

**- _TRUTH BULLET: SHUICHI’S CAMERA-_**

 “Please, allow me to take the cameras. I am experienced in developing film from cameras.” Kirumi extended a hand, interrupting Rantaro’s train of thought. He hesitated.

“Well, maybe you should bring someone else to assist you.” Rantaro suggested. “Besides, you could be the culprit, so, maybe you’ll try and alter the film in your favour.”

Kirumi stared at Rantaro for a moment, before giving him a smile and a nod. “I see. Very well then, I shall get someone to accompany me.”

“I’ll come!” Tsumugi raised her hand. “I have experience in developing photos too!”

“Wow, didn’t think your cosplay experience would come in handy…” Himiko murmured.

The group watched as Kirumi and Tsumugi took the cameras and went on their way, saying that they’d be in the storage room, across from the dining hall.

“Yay! Now with all of that out of the way, we can start investigating properly, right?” Kokichi beamed.

“Guh! You’re too enthusiastic about this!” Tenko glared at Kokichi.

“But he is right. We shouldn’t waste any more time. Let us begin out investigation.” Korekiyo said.

“Yeah, let’s start. But, let’s try not to investigate alone, alright? Try to investigate in pairs of two or three. That way, if the culprit is paired up with someone, it’ll be harder for them to destroy evidence.” Rantaro instructed.

“Wow! Well-spoken Rantaro! What a smart player you are! You’ve got that survivor’s instinct for sure!” Kokichi’s sly grin didn’t escape Rantaro’s notice. _What is he playing at?_

“Rantaro’s right, we should all work with each other.” Kaede agreed. She looked to Rantaro. “Do you think you and I could help each other out during this investigation? You seem so level-headed, and you know what you’re doing all the time.”

“Of course.” Rantaro said. “I’d love to.”

“Heeey! No fair!” Kokichi huffed. “I wanted to investigate with Rantaro!”

“Do you now?” Rantaro blinked, surprised. _Well, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. He has expressed this weird interest in me._ Kokichi nodded, bouncing around Rantaro and Kaede.

“Of course I do!” He exclaimed. “I love you Rantaro! You’re my favourite one here! And Kaede makes everything a little less boring! I bet she’ll fall in love with me after we spend this intimate time together investigating! Don’t you think you could fall for someone like me Kaede?” He batted his eyelashes at the pianist.

Kaede sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We’ll see about that Kokichi. But, I guess, you’re welcome to join us if you’d like…”

“Yaaaay! Thanks Kaede! I was going to tag-along, regardless of what you said, but I’m glad I got you to say yes anyways!!” Kokichi obnoxiously latched onto Kaede, hugging her close. Kaede looked disgruntled at first, before she just rolled her eyes and patted Kokichi’s head like he was a younger sibling.

Rantaro felt his heart tighten at the thought. _I can’t think about them, not now. I won’t be able to find them after this if I don’t find out who killed Shuichi._ Still, he took a peek at the scene again, and basked in the bittersweet feeling. _If I want to feel this feeling for myself, I have to solve this case. I have to._

Kokichi’s perky voice regained Rantaro’s attention. “Kaaaaito! Goooonta! I need you two idiots to come over here for a second!!!”

“I-Idiots?! Who are you calling an idiot?!” Kaito seethed.

“W-Well, it’s okay, I am not very smart…” Gonta looked down sheepishly.

“C’mon man, don’t just accept it…” Kaito patted Gonta’s back.

“Oh whatever!” Kokichi stuck his tongue out at them. “You two muscle-heads heaved up that bookcase, right? Tell me how hard it was to haul it up! Do you think anybody could tip it over, or just really strong people?”

“Well, I am very strong. Very strong.” Gonta stated, looking thoughtful.

“Yeah, remember the manhole? Gonta picked it up like it was nothing!” Kaito said. “But, it was a bit of a hassle to lift up. I’d say it wouldn’t be easy for someone who isn’t physically strong, but like, not impossible!”

“I seeee! I see!” Kokichi circled the fallen bookcase, the fatal item that ended Shuichi’s life. He crouched down, tracing his fingers against odd scrape marks left on the ground. “Look at this! Looks like someone had a tough time toppling the thing on Shuichi’s head! I mean, these aren’t natural at all, right?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Kaede gasped, crouching next to the boy. “It looks like someone struggled to push it down.”

“Wouldn’t that mean someone was intentionally try to push this bookcase down onto Shuichi?” Rantaro remarked.

“I… No… It can’t be…” Kaede whispered.

“Wait, so, it wasn’t an accident?! It was on purpose?!” Kaito grinded his teeth together.

“It seems so…” Rantaro mumbled, filing away this important piece of information.

**_-TRUTH BULLET: FALLEN BOOKCASE-_ **

“Well, it was a pretty hasty kind of kill if you ask me.” Kokichi remarked. “Probably not planned like the shot-put ball one!”

“Well, it was committed during those last ten minutes… I wouldn’t be surprised if they just panicked and just did it in the spur of the moment.” Rantaro said.

“Yeah! Man, if only Monokuma didn’t kill the lights! Then we coulda seen as clear as day who pushed that bookcase!” Kokichi pouted.

“Now hold on a minute!” The aforementioned bear suddenly burst into view, waving his stubby paws angrily. “You can’t just blame everything on me!”

“Yes we can!” Kaito and Kaede said in unison, directing their hatred in the words they spewed towards the bear.

“Oh gee, you two are in-sync over here!” Monokuma groaned, recoiling from their shared intensity. “Gross! And you can’t! I won’t let you sully my good name with lies and accusations!” He waddled over to the rear door, jumping up onto the wall and grabbing at a small switch. With his weight, he pulled it down and suddenly the lights came off.

“It’s dark!” Gonta cried out in worry.

“That’s because I shut the lights off, idiot!” Monokuma growled, flicking the lights back on. “I didn’t turn off the damn lights! Although, it did factor in nicely with the last ten minutes there!”

“Monokuma didn’t turn off the lights…? Then, one of us probably did…” Kaede trembled. “Then, was that panic in the dark, planned?”

“No way…” Kaito shook his head. “No way! This was all planned then?!”

“Seems so.” Rantaro frowned as he was met with this information.

**_-TRUTH BULLET: THE LIGHTSWITCH-_ **

“So you weren’t the one responsible for the lights, but you definitely did that whole wacky thing with the video and music onscreen, right? It was going wild, flashing numbers and playing your trash music on repeat over and over again!”

“Trash music?!” Monokuma fumed at Kokichi’s words. “Excuse me?! Do you know how long it took to make a stupid catchy song like that? I bet years from now, it’ll be haunting your dreams! You’ll be sitting in bed an old fart, looking back on your life, and the only thing you’ll be able to recall is my catchy tune! I’ll be sure to play it at your funerals!”

“But you were responsible the video suddenly intensifying, right?” Rantaro asked.

“Of course! I had to do _something_ to catch all of yers attention to the time limit! Otherwise, you’d all be crying over that corpse for days! Of course I added some flair to it, making it flashier, louder, and giving it a big old death counter, tick-tocking to your doom!”

“So… the person who turned off the lights must have timed it so that it would be in-sync with that video! So… I’m right! The mastermind has to be responsible!” Kaede declared, fists up in the air in determination. “I’m right, aren’t I. Monokuma?

“Who can say?” Monokuma shrugged, walking away. “Anyways, now that my integrity as a truthful bear has remained intact… sayonara!”

**_-TRUTH BULLET: PROMOTIONAL VIDEO BGM-_ **

“Stupid bear…” Kaito muttered as he watched Monokuma off. “If I could, I’d beat the crap outta him!”

“But then you would get punished! That’s bad!” Gonta put a hand on Kaito’s head. “Be careful!”

“I know, I know! Just…damn it…” Kaito grumbled, walking away to cool off. Gonta hurried after him, trying to calm him down.

“The mastermind… It has to be the mastermind…” Kaede was muttering to herself.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We still don’t have all the evidence.” Rantaro advised,

“Right… Right! Then, I guess it’s up to me!” Kokichi suddenly declared, puffing his chest out. “I’ll pick up the slack where you two are lacking!”

“Slack? What slack?” Kaede glared at the Kokichi, who only smiled impishly at her in response.

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious?” Kokichi asked innocently. “You both obviously don’t know what the hell you’re doing, so I guess I’ll have to pitch in and help.” He yawned. “Even though I’m super tired, it’s like, past my bedtime, ya know? Gosh, I wish we weren’t doing this so late at night…”

“Are you a high school student or a kid…?” Kaede muttered.

“Oh, you got me! I’m actually an elementary student! My real title is being the Lil Ultimate Supreme Leader, and I lead an army of children to harass and kill adults, hahaha!”

“…” Kaede and Rantaro gave Kokichi a blank stare. Kokichi kept on laughing.

“Whaaaat? It’s the truth! Oh whatever!” He rolled his eyes, starting to hop off.

“And where do you think you’re going Kokichi?” Rantaro called after him. But Kokichi gave no answer as he ran out of the library.

“What is up with him? Acting like that, even now…” Kaede sighed. “He’s seriously hard to read.”

“You can say that again.” Rantaro’s eyes were still on the library door, his thoughts centered around Kokichi, before he focused back on the task at hand. “Kaede, I think we should go over the specifics of everything you and Shuichi set up. That might help us get closer to the truth of this case.”

“Oh, okay!” Kaede said. “Well, there’s a lot to go over…” She began to go over the specifics of her and Shuichi’s plan. In the library, she pointed out the card reader on the hidden door. Shuichi has placed dust on the card reader so that if anyone swiped their card through it, they’d know if the hidden door was used. However, as they inspected the card reader, the dust was still there.

“But… I saw the hidden door closing. So, wouldn’t that mean it was used?” Rantaro wondered.

 “No, that can’t be, there should only be one entrance, right? So then the mastermind must have used it?” Kaede asked.

“Well, right…”  Rantaro agreed, recalling his secret advantage, which was a map of the entire school. He didn’t see any other entrance into the hidden room. This had to be the only entrance. Even so, there was a question that irked Rantaro, the more he thought about the hidden door.

­ ** _-TRUTH BULLET: CARD READER DUST-_**

The next thing Kaede pointed out was how Shuichi and her set up the cameras and sensors in the library. She explained how they spent most of the day setting everything up, how she tried to stack the books in such a way where she could hide a camera, how she opened up the library vent to see if anyone could sneak in through there and how the hidden door sensor was linked to a receiver that Kaede had. “When the hidden door opened, the sensor in my hand went off. But Shuichi wasn’t back yet. I wasn’t sure what to do, because Shuichi went downstairs to check on you guys.” She looked to Rantaro. “He wanted to see what your group was up to.”

”We were all gathered by Kaito for a strategy meeting.” Rantaro told her. “He wanted to try and fight Monokuma when the time limit ended, to defend ourselves. We did see Shuichi, he came in for a minute to check on us, and then left. Tenko and I left to see if he was alright, and then… we found him.”

**_-TRUTH BULLET:  LIBRARY VENT-_ **

**_-TRUTH BULLET: STACKED BOOKS-_ **

**_-TRUTH BULLET: RECIEVER ON KAEDE-_ **

**_-TRUTH BULLET: RANTARO’S ACCOUNT-_ **

Finally, Kaede showed them the classroom where she and Shuichi staked out. It was the one right next to the staircases. From there, they waited until they saw the strategy meeting group go downstairs. Shuichi then decided to follow them and to make sure they weren’t interfering with their plan. She also pointed out the classroom’s vent, and how it connected to the library vent.

**_-TRUTH BULLET: LOOKOUT CLASSROOM-_ **

**_-TRUTH BULLET: CLASSROOM VENT-_ **

Rantaro sat down at one of the desks, trying to keep track of all the information in his head. “Seems like we have our work cut out for us.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Kaede sat across from him, and was sporting an odd look, staring at Rantaro like he was someone else entirely.

“Kaede? What’s up?” He asked. Kaede was definitely one of the stronger students here at the academy, but Shuichi’s death had shaken her up. _I should support her, in whatever way I can. The group needs her leadership._

She continued to stare intently at Rantaro, before she whispered. “We sat here, him and me.”

“… You mean you and Shuichi?” Rantaro clarified.

She nodded, continuing to stare at him. “We were just waiting for time to go by, and, he opened up to me.  He told me about this case he solved that really messed with him. I tried to encourage him to be a bit more confident…” She trailed off, her eyes going distant. “I wish I could’ve told him more. I just wish… I could’ve helped him. Maybe if I said something different, or make him a bit more confident, maybe just…” Pain flashed across her features.  “If I did… _something_ different, he would be alive. I know it. I just know it.”

“You can’t get wrapped up in what you _could’ve_ done better Kaede.” Rantaro murmured softly. “You can only focus on now. On what you can do now.” A sea at storm flashed behind his eyes, and suddenly, he felt himself on that boat, that desperate, drowning boat. Lighting and thunder dancing around him, licking at the raging sea below. He was at the mercy of the sea and the storm. He was isolated. Alone. Irresponsible. His faults. His negligence. His fault.

_His sisters._

_His fault._

He shook his head, focusing back on reality, back to Kaede. “You’re strong Kaede. But you can’t let this hold you back. The class trial needs you. _Shuichi_ needs you. If you’re going to avenge him properly, you can’t let this hold you back.” He took her hands, which were resting atop the desk, into his, and gripped them firmly, staring into her eyes. “ _We need you Kaede._ ” He said lowly, passionately. “And I believe in you. You can do this.”

Kaede’s face reddened, staring down at her hands, his hands. Slowly, a wet laugh escaped her, and she nodded, dabbing at her eyes. “I know. I know. Thanks Rantaro…” She sniffled. “We’ll find the mastermind. We’ll make them pay for Shuichi’s death.” She vowed, the familiar spark of optimism returning to her eyes.

“Of course.” Rantaro smiled. He looked down to her hands, before slowly removing his. She withdrew her hands as well, placing them on her skirt. The red tinge never left her cheeks, and she kept her eyes glued to the desk before her.

Movement at the doorway quickly caught Rantaro’s interest. Before he could react, a small boy made his way onto Kaede’s lap. Kaede yelped out in surprised as none other than Kokichi heaved out a dramatic sigh. “Raaaaantaro! Kaeeeedddde!” Kokichi sang out their names as he plopped his face onto the desk. “Kirumi and Tsumugi are out for blood! They’re gonna kill me! Can you hide me under your skirt Kaede?”

“What?! No!! And, why are Kirumi and Tsumugi after you?” Kaede floundered, trying to pry the boy off.

“No idea! Maybe they’re in love with me and want to lock me up like a dog! WAHHH! SO SCARY!” Kokichi bawled, rolling off of Kaede and onto the floor with exaggerated tears.

“You obviously did something if they’re chasing after you. Unless that’s a lie.” Rantaro paused for a moment, realising something. “Weren’t Kirumi and Tsumugi developing the photos? What’s the status on those?”

Kokichi let out a dramatic sob. “I-I-I dunno! I tried to peek at ‘em, but Tsumugi was being all sorts of strict! That boring otaku thought I was gonna tamper with eeeevideeeence! But, I would _never_ tamper with anything, ever!!” He wailed.

“… Sure.” Was all Kaede said.

“It’s true!” Kokichi huffed, his tears suddenly gone as he energetically got up to his feet. “And now they’re chasing me!” He ran over to Rantaro, and suddenly launched himself into the boy’s lap, his hands hugging and arms squeezing. “Rantaroooooo! Protect meeee!!!”

“I’ll protect you Kokichi, but please, get off me.” Rantaro sighed, his hands moving on their own to instinctively ruffle Kokichi’s hair. He froze. _Don’t start Rantaro, don’t you start._

Kokichi looked up at the hand in his hair. Surely he felt the way Rantaro’s hand had stiffened, but if he did, he didn’t show any sign of it. All he did was nuzzled the top of his head even further. Awkwardly, Rantaro pried his hand out of Kokichi’s hair.

“T-There he is!” A breathless voice came from the doorway, and there was Tsumugi, panting as she leaned against the doorframe to recover. Kirumi was right behind her, her steely gaze narrowing at the childish boy in Rantaro’s lap.

“Kokichi. Please return the photos you’ve taken from us.” She asked firmly.

“You stole the photos…” Kaede said flatly.

“What?! Did I?!” Kokichi gasped. He looked to Rantaro, and an odd smile was plastered on his lips. A knowing smile. A devious smile. A smile that Rantaro felt as though he had seen before, on cheeky characters on TV who would wink at the audience. It was… unnerving for some reason.

“Kokichi. Please, just give them back.” Kirumi advanced towards the boy, with Tsumugi in tow. Kokichi’s smile left Rantaro as he got off of his lap to face the girls. His arms suddenly blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he was holding the photos like he would hold a winning hand at gambling.

“Do you mean, these photos?” He giggled as he handed them over to Kirumi. “Okie dokes! Here you go!”

Kirumi took the photos. “Thank you. And please refrain from acting up like this again. Stealing evidence makes it look as though you have something to hide.”

“Oh c’mon! It was a good run, right? Exercise is important!” Kokichi replied breezily.

Tsumugi looked over the photos in Kirumi’s hand. “Did you return all of them?” She asked quietly.

“Of course I did!” Kokichi answered. “At least, I think I did!” He patted himself down, shaking himself as he hummed out, “I don’t seem to have any more on me… Wanna pat me down Tsumugi and find out?” His eyes narrowed towards her in some sort of perverted glee.

Kirumi rolled her eyes, looking over all the photographs. “All the photos I was developing are accounted for. What about yours Tsumugi? Are all of yours present as well?” Kirumi asked.

Tsumugi looked over the photos once more, her deep blue eyes shifting between Kokichi and the photos. “Yes. They’re all there.”

Kokichi grinned. “Then look at that! I told the truth! Wow! What a shocker, right? A rare truth, just for you!” He winked, a victorious look on his face, and as he did, the screens chimed. The students looked up at Monokuma, who sneered down at them.

“Alrighy kids! It seems like this is a fun time to end the investigation! Oh boy, do I gotta say, this will be a pretty juicy trial, don’t you think? Puhuhu!! All of you better gather up now, mandatory attendance for all except the dead! But don’t think that the dead aren’t gonna participate, but more like, the dead is gonna be main star of this trial! Oh boy, being the star of the show? Maybe that’s something worth dying for, puhuhu! Well, enough from me! Let’s haul our asses to the class trial!”

 Rantaro found himself staring at the screen, which was now turned off. Something distant, yet familiar, nagged at him. _I should be feeling fear, anxiety, dread for what’s about to come, but, I don’t. It’s like this isn’t anything new to me. I know what’s about to happen. Like I’ve seen it all before. Like a trial is as common as a morning jog._ He shuddered. _Nothing like this should feel routine or normal._ His mind drifted to Shuichi’s dented head. The blood that bubbled on his lips. Those brilliant, sharp eyes reduced to a hazy, pained look. _Nothing like that should be considered normal. What happened to Shuichi was far from normal._

_For Shuichi’s sake, we have to move on with this class trial._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The First Trial.
> 
> <3


End file.
